News from NIH: Global Health

Abstract

The work of the CDC, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other HHS agencies on communicable diseases in the developing world is well known. However, today, noncommunicable disease accounts for more than 60% of deaths around the world, of which 80% are in the developing world [1]. The epidemic of noncommunicable disease is growing and shifting from high-income countries to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where little research has been done, and minimal research capacity currently exists. Another challenge is the development of a “rapid learning science” grounded in methodology that is rigorous while also being responsive to short-term needs of communities, health systems, and policy makers [2]. There is a need to apply the lessons learned from HIV/AIDS, which ultimately converted erroneous myths that HIV was too complex, costly, and prevalent to prevent in the developing world into effective strategies to reduce costs, increase access to health services, and strengthen health systems [3]. This lesson from HIV/AIDS suggests that research conducted in LMICs could provide significant and innovative advancements in understanding, preventing, and treating chronic diseases for both developing and developed countries. Such research would likely include “disruptive innovations” as proposed by Paul Farmer [4], Clayton Christensen [5], and Santosh Krishna [6], providing needed services in innovative ways that bring a much more affordable product or service that is simple to integrate into a health service market. New international collaborations dedicated to an implementation and evaluation research agenda in chronic diseases are needed, and the behavioral and social sciences will be critical to advance research in global health.